American Bay Upper Ocean Temperature Profiles from 1966

285 meters is the maximum observation depth for this dataset of mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) readings. It contains temperature-depth profile pairs recorded at 5-meter intervals in American Bay, North Atlantic Ocean, from October 28-30, 1966. The National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) processed the data into its standard C128 format.

Use Cases

• Analyzing thermal stratification in the upper 285 meters of the ocean using paired temperature-depth values.
• Studying short-term temperature variation over a three-day cruise using date, time, and position columns.
• Calibrating or validating models of near-surface ocean heat content for a specific geographic location.
• Providing a historical baseline for comparative studies of ocean temperature changes in the North Atlantic.

Strengths

• Data is processed to a known standard format (NODC C128), ensuring structural consistency.
• Temperature readings are recorded at uniform 5-meter depth intervals, facilitating systematic analysis.
• Each observation includes associated metadata such as cruise information, date, position, and time.

Limitations

• Key quantitative details like row count, file size, and specific column names are unavailable from all sources.
• The dataset's utility is confined to the upper ocean, with a maximum instrument depth of approximately 285 meters.
• A conflict exists: one platform lists a last updated date of 2026-04-01, while another lists the data's end date of 1966-10 30.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Collected via mechanical bathythermograph (MBT) instrument and processed by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC).

Time Range

1966-10-28 to 1966-10-30

Freshness

2026-04-01 15:17:18.895098

Geography

American Bay in the North Atlantic Ocean